Flat bed knitting machines

ABSTRACT

A flat bed knitting machine with independently operable needles and having a slide mounted for to and fro movement along a rail extending longitudinally of the machine by means arranged to move with the cam box of the machine, the slide being arranged to shift a movable stop block along a further rail of the machine on which at least one yarn carrier is mounted for movement therealong. The machine is particularly suitable when it is desired during one knitting sequence to knit at one time two portions of fabric at spaced locations on the beds and at another time to knit a single portion of fabric using a yarn carrier which supplies yarn for the knitting of one of the said two portions of fabric.

United States Patent Jeffc oat [73] Assignee: Courtaulds Limited, London, En-

gland [22] Filed: Dec. 10, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 96,729

[ 1 Foreign Application Priority Data 1 Sept. 19, 1972 237mm? 3/1954 Z irLic et al.. ..66/126 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney-Davis, l-loxie, Faithfull & l-lapgood [5 7] ABSTRACT A flat bed knitting machine with independently operable needles and having a slide mounted for to and fro movement along a rail extending longitudinally of the machine by means arranged to move with the cam box of the machine, the slide being arranged to shift a 1969 Great Bmam "62518/69 movable stop block along a further rail of the machine on which at least one yarn carrier is mounted for g. 66213112551; movement therealong The machine is particularly [58] Fie'm "66/126 125 suitable when it is desired during one knitting sequence to knit at one time two portions of fabric at [56] References Cited spaced locations on the beds and at another time to knit a single portion of fabric using a yarn carrier UNITED STATES PATENTS which supplies yarn for the knitting of one of the said 3,237,432 3/1966 Jett ..66/l26 2,610,493 9/ 1952 Zimic et al ..66/l27 6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures ii JL 7 loooooooooo lFooolc 5 p n 6 PATENTED SEP 19 I972 SHEET 3 [IF 3' UR m m m I 3 16 R m W M Wm M m a mm u% 3 m m A m M FIGJA. F/GJB. FIGJC. F/G.3D.

K5 -y JsFFCo/if INVENTOR y 4 Ml; [MA u M m/ ATTORNEY FLAT BED KNITTING MACHINES This invention relates to a flat bed knitting machine and is useful in machines on which it is desired during one knitting sequence to knit at one time two portions of fabric at spaced locations on the beds and at another time to knit a single portion of fabric using a yarn carrier which supplies yarn for the knitting of one of the said two portions of fabric. In such a case it is advantageous to be able to stop the said one carrier at different positions depending on whether the single portion of fabric or one of the said two portions of fabric is being knitted.

The invention consists in a flat bed knitting machine with independently operable needles and having a slide mounted for to and fro movement along a rail extending longitudinally of the machine by means arranged to move with the cam box of the machine, the slide being arranged to shift a movable stop block along a further rail of the machine on which at least one yarn carrier is mounted for movement therealong.

The slide may be constituted by a further yarn carrier from which the yarn feeder may be removed. The first mentioned rail and the further rail may be constituted by two sides of a double-sided carrier rail.

The frictional resistance to movement of the slide along the first mentioned rail is desirably greater than the frictional resistance to movement of the or each yarn carrier along the further rail. Alternatively, a catch releasable by a mechanism on a cam box of the machine can be used to clamp the slide to the first mentioned rail or to a fixed stop means on the first mentioned rail when desired.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a part of a doublesided carrier rail for a flat bed knitting machine according to the invention, a yarn carrier and a movable stop block being shown on the rail,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 showing the stop block in a different position, and

FIGS. 3A to 3E are a series of diagrams illustrating the use of the movable stop block.

FIG. 1 shows a double-sided carrier rail 5 which is mounted in the normal way in a flat V-bed knitting machine (not shown) so as to extend parallel to the needle beds. On the side 6 of the rail 5 is mounted a carrier 8 which is slotted at 9 to receive a collector peg from a cam box (not shown) of the knitting machine in the conventional manner. A stop block 12 is secured to the side 6 of the rail in the conventional manner by means of a peg 10 which engages in one of a series of holes 11 in the rail. A yarn feeder 13 is mounted on the carrier 8.

A further carrier 14 is mounted on the side 7 of the rail 5 and is slotted at 15 to receive a collector peg from a cam box (not shown) of the machine. No yarn feeder is mounted on the carrier 14 which constitutes a slide connected by a bracket 16 to a movable stop block 17 slidable to and fro on the side 6 of the rail 5. Stop blocks 18 and 19 securable to the side 7 of the rail limit the movement of the carrier 14. The stop blocks 12, 17, 18 and 19 have bevelled cam blocks 22, 23, 24 and 25, respectively, which serve to press the collector pegs of the cam boxes upwardly in FIG. 1 disengaging them from the slots of the carriers.

The yarn carrier 8 is arranged to move freely along the rail 5 in the conventional manner. The carrier 14 is arranged to slide along the rail 5 with a considerable degree of friction so that it is not easily shifted along the rail.

In FIG. 1 the carrier 14 abuts against the stop block 19 and the movable stop block 17 is therefore in a position such that it limits the movement of the yarn carrier 8 to the position 8a shown in chaimdotted lines in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, the carrier 14 has been moved to the left so that it abuts the stop block 18 and the movable stop block 17 has thus been shifted by the carrier 14 to a position such that it limits the movement of the yarn carrier 8 to the left to the position 8b shown in chaindotted lines in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 3A to 3D illustrate the manner of using a flat bed knitting machine comprising the carrier rail of FIG. 1 for knitting a piece of fabric 30 shaped in the manner shown in FIG. 3E.

In knitting this piece of fabric the two portions 31 and 32 may be knitted first and the portion 33 may be knitted subsequently. The reverse order of knitting may also be adopted in which the portion 33 is knitted first and the two portions 31 and 32 are knitted subsequently. FIGS. 3A and 3B show the carrier 14 connected to the movable stop block 17 in a position close to the lower ends of the needle beds in FIGS 3A to 3D. A further yarn carrier 34 is out of use and the yarn carrier 8 is able to move between the positions shown in FIGS. 3A and 33 thus between the stop blocks 12 and 17. With this arrangement the portion 33 of the fabric 30 may be knitted using yarn supplied from the yarn carrier 8. When this portion of the knitting has been completed the carrier 14 is moved to the position shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D where it abuts against the stop 19. The yarn carrier 34 now brings into use a supply yarn for the knitting of the portion 32 of the fabric and this yarn carrier moves between the carrier 14 and the fixed stop 18. The yarn carrier 8 now moves between the stop 12 and the movable stop 17 located in its new position near the middle of the needle beds. The correct length of traverse of the yarn carrier 8 for the knitting of the fabric portion 31 is thus achieved.

Movement of the carrier 14 and the movable stop block 17 is achieved at the correct time by causing the appropriate collector peg of the machine to project from the cam box during the correct traverse. Alternatively, means mounted on a part of the machine movable with the cam box along the beds can be used to connect with and move the carrier 14.

In a further embodiment of a knitting machine according to the invention, two movable stop blocks 17 each arranged to be moved by a separate carrier 14, are provided and a yarn carrier is arranged to move between the two blocks 17 which are located on the same rail. The length of the traverse of the yarn carrier can be varied by shifting the position of one or both of the stop blocks 17 in the manner described above. This arrangement is particularly useful in knitting a shaped piece of fabric, for example a garment body panel which is narrow at the neck but considerably wider below the underarm region.

What is claimed is:

1. In a flat bed knitting machine having a bed of independently operable needles, a cam box movable longitudinally of said bed and a plurality of yarn carriers,

apparatus for controlling movement of yarn carriers comprising a first rail mounted parallel to said bed, a slide mounted on said first rail for movement along said rail, a first stop mounted on said first rail to halt said slide and provide a limit to its movement along said first rail, means for moving said slide along said rail until halted by said first stop, a second rail parallel to said first rail, a yarn carrier mounted for movement on said second rail, a second stop mounted for movement on said second rail and means connecting said slide with said second stop, whereby movement of said slide positions said second stop for limiting movement of said yarn carrier along said second rail.

2. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 in which the slide is a yarn carrier from which the yarn feeder has been removed.

3. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 in which the first and second rails constitute opposite sides of a doublesided carrier rail of l-shaped cross-section.

4. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 in which the frictional resistance to movement of the slide along the first rail is greater than the frictional resistance to movement of the yarn carrier along the second rail.

5. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 and comprising a releasable catch for securing the slide in the first rail.

6. The apparatus claimed in claim 5 wherein the catch engages stop means fixed on the first rail. 

1. In a flat bed knitting machine having a bed of independently operable needles, a cam box movable longitudinally of said bed and a plurality of yarn carriers, apparatus for controlling movement of yarn carriers comprising a first rail mounted parallel to sAid bed, a slide mounted on said first rail for movement along said rail, a first stop mounted on said first rail to halt said slide and provide a limit to its movement along said first rail, means for moving said slide along said rail until halted by said first stop, a second rail parallel to said first rail, a yarn carrier mounted for movement on said second rail, a second stop mounted for movement on said second rail and means connecting said slide with said second stop, whereby movement of said slide positions said second stop for limiting movement of said yarn carrier along said second rail.
 2. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 in which the slide is a yarn carrier from which the yarn feeder has been removed.
 3. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 in which the first and second rails constitute opposite sides of a double-sided carrier rail of I-shaped cross-section.
 4. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 in which the frictional resistance to movement of the slide along the first rail is greater than the frictional resistance to movement of the yarn carrier along the second rail.
 5. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 and comprising a releasable catch for securing the slide in the first rail.
 6. The apparatus claimed in claim 5 wherein the catch engages stop means fixed on the first rail. 